Ingredients:

  • 5 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut into 1-inch chunks or whole)
  • 1 large Yellow Onion, chopped
  • 2 medium Carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 Celery Stalks, sliced
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dried Rosemary, crushed
  • 6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 1 teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
  • 3 cups (packed) Fresh Spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 (16 oz / 450g) package Shelf-Stable or Refrigerated Potato Gnocchi
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream (35% fat)
  • 1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (plus more for serving)
  • 2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour or Cornstarch (for optional slurry)

Instructions:

  1. If time permits, sear the chicken chunks in a hot skillet with a drizzle of oil until lightly browned on all sides. If skipping, place raw chicken directly into the slow cooker.
  2. Place the sautéed (or raw) chicken, chopped onion, carrots, celery, minced garlic, dried thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper directly into the slow cooker basin.
  3. Pour the chicken broth over the ingredients, ensuring the chicken is mostly submerged.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or on HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
  5. Carefully remove the cooked chicken breasts from the slow cooker and place them on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken thoroughly. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker.
  6. If desiring a thicker broth, create a slurry by mixing the flour/cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water until smooth. Stir this slurry into the simmering soup. Cook for an additional 15 minutes on HIGH to eliminate the raw flour taste.
  7. Stir in the heavy cream and the uncooked gnocchi. Stir well to combine.
  8. Cook for another 20–30 minutes on HIGH, monitoring closely until the gnocchi floats to the top and is tender.
  9. Remove the slow cooker from the heat, stir in the fresh spinach until wilted (about 2 minutes), then stir in the grated Parmesan cheese. Taste, and adjust seasoning (salt/pepper) as needed before serving.